Cam operated transversely engaged clutch for looms



Aug. 9, 1949'. c. P. BERGSTROM. ET AL 2,473,550

CAM OPERATED TRANSVERSELY ENGAGED CLUTCH FOR LQOMS Filed Nov. 29, 1945 I 2 sheets-sheet 1 FlG.i 2

04R; PEE5G $5M andALBE/PT PALMER ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1949- c. P. BERGSTROM ET AL 2,478,560

CAM OPERATED TRANSVERSELY ENGAGED CLUTCH FOR LOOMS Filed Nov. 29, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV NTORS- CARL BE STROM and ALBERT PALMER ATTORNEY llllibri Patented Aug. 9, 1949 UNIT so STATE-S PATENT OFFICE a 2,478,560 Q 1 CAM'OPERATED 'TRANSVERS-ELY-ENGAGED CLUTCH FOB/LOQMS I 'Ca'rl P. Bergstroin and Alliert Palmer,*woree'ster, 'Mass assignors t'oCromipt'dWEc Knowles'Loom Works, Worcest'er,'-Mass., acorporation of Ma'ssachus'et-ts I Application November 29, 1 '945,"seria1N0163L653 This invention relates to improvements in clutches for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a clutch which is readily adjustable to compensate for wear.

Looms are ordinarily driven by an electric motor the pinion of which meshes with a large gear loose o-nfthe top'of the crank shaft of the loom. A second gear keyed to the'top shaft meshes with another 'gear'on the bottom shaft so that all parts operated by the two shafts will be synchronizedand derive powerfrjo'm the motor. As heretofore made compensation for wear and also lubrication of the clutch mechanism for connecting the large loose gear'to the keyed gear has been difiicult. It isan importantobject of our present invention to provide a clutch having shoes mounted on eccentrics so that their posi- 'GClaiins. (Cl. 192-93) tion with respect to the loosejgear can be 'adjusted from readily accessible points.

It'is another object of our present invention tohave the shipper mechanism so constructed as to rock a non-circular member for the purpose of spreading the clutch shoes and to construct this spreading member in such manner that movement of the shoes by'theeccentric's will not materially affect thesetting of the shoes'w'ith "respect to the non-circular spreading member.

One objection which has been "raised against clutches heretofore used in looms is the "fact that they throw oil which gets on the fabricbin'g' woven. his a further object of our present invention to provide improved means for lubrieating the large loose gear bearing in such man- 'ner that escape of oil is eliminated "without sacrifice of lubrication sufficiency.

With these and other objects "in view which will appear as the description proceeds, durinvention resides inthecombi-nation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and'set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, whereina convenient embodiment of our invention is set forth,

'ing member by'which the clutohIis moved into and out of operatingposition,

'figfl is a horizontal sectionon line .handleppe'rated lever-26 and is moved along 'hub fli toward and' fromthe web 45.

'8 'is an enlarged "elevation of the shoe spreading memberfsho'wn in the upper part of Fig. 2. r

' Referring'particularly to Fig. 1, the 100m frame flfljla'y ll; lay connector 1'2 and shipper and brake handles l3and l4, respectively, maybe of usual construction. The l'oomis 'providedwith a motor not shown but having a pinion l'5 which meshes with a large ear l'fi'loosely mounted on the:top shaft 11' by. means'of which the lay H is reciprocated through "the connector 12.

The shipper handle [3 cooperates witha shipper lever 20"pi'vot'ed *tofthe loom frame at 2| anfd provided. With a 'rearwardly extending rod 22 connected to an arm 23 secured toavertical stud 24rotatably1nounted in a fixed stand 25. An "arm '26 secured to the upperpart'of'stud'24isyoked as indicated in Fig. land is provided with apair of operating pins "21. When the shipper handle is pulled"forwardl'yortdthe left as viewed in Fig. 1 the arm 26 will be movedtothe left as viewe'din Fig. 2.

The'brakehandle'lfl is connected to abrake never 30 pivoted at 3| :to the loom frame and 'havingth'e" rear end thereof connected "as at 32 to a brake band '33, the upper end'of which is anchored as at '34 in fixed position with respect "to the looin'frame, 'seeFig. 1. When the handle "lil'is in the o'fi position or 'in'it's left hand position as shown 'in Fig. -1 the brake bandwill 'be loose with respe'c't'to drivingmechanism' t'obe described,

but when the brake handle 14 is moved to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 the brake band moves "tofbraking positmh.

Excemas noted 'h r'eina'fter'th'e matter thus m described "is of common construction in looms.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, "we have shown a "gear spider 35 keyedas at 36to shaft-"l1 and having a ring gear 31 bolted thereto as ems. 'Thering gear'con's'titutes the upper or .crank shaft gear of the loornarfd will -ordinarily mesh with anotherlge'arnotshownbelow it and 6n the fbbfttdm shaft ii'C'ut shown of the 100m.

. Integral with'the ring gear is a cylindrical 61mm '40 around which tlie'brake 'str'apY33 extends. Thein'otor driven loose-gear l6 has'aweb 45 from which extends a hub 46 on which is 'slidahlymounted a clutch setting sleeve member ll theleft end of which is tapered as indicated in Fig'."'2 TMemberl'l is controlledby the shipper The hub is .-provi ded with a circumferential recess which sealed-by abearing leeve 5l driven into the hub and surrounding the shaft After the plug 53 is fastened in place the oiling system is completely inclosed and there is no opportunity for oil to splash on the fabric being woven. A second bearing sleeve 55 driven into hub 46 supports the outer end of the latter on shaft Sleeve 55 is spaced from sleeve 5| and with it defines a zone 5 6, see Fig. 7, into which oil oozes from shell 5| and thence to shell 55. I

The web 45 has secured thereto for rotary adjustment two eccentrics 60 and BI which are both alike and a description of one of them will suffice for both. Eccentric Ed has a bearing 62 rotatable in the web 45, see Fig. 2, and has a threaded end 63 terminating in a non-circular head 64. Lock washers 55 and t6 and lock nut 61 provide means for holding the eccentric E3!) in any adjusted position to which it 'may be moved by means of the non-circular head 54.

' Extending to the left of the bearing 62 is an eccentric bearing 68 the axis of which is displaced with respect to the axis of bearin '62. A head 69 formed on the eccentric bearing 68 is of larger diameter than the latter for a reason to be set forth.

' The clutch is provided with shoes is and 11 mounted, respectively, on the eccentrics 66 and 6|. These shoes are similar to each other, shoe having a hub 12 on the eccentric bearing 'of eccentric 60 and shoe H similarly having a hub 13 for eccentric 6|. Hubs IE-and F3 are located between Web 55 and heads 69 of the eccentrics. The shoes is and H are of arcuate form as shown ,more particularly in Fig. .4, and extend upwardly from their respective eccentrics and are provided 4-..1;

with vertical wear plates l5 and M, respectively. These wear plates are substantially'parallel to each other and will ordinarily be equally spaced from a diameter passing through the axis of shaft I! and midway between the eccentrics. Each shoe l0 and H is provided with a lining l8 which engages an inner cylindrical surface 19 of the drum 4!].

As shown in the upper part of Figs. 2 and 4 the means for spreading the clutch shoes 10 and H comprises a stud member 80 rotatable in a sleeve 8! driven into the web 45. The left end of this stud has a non-circular block or head 82 which lies between the wear plates and 76, see Fig. 4, and preferably has parallel sides for engaging the plates.

The cylindrical part 80 of stud 8B, rotatable in sleeve 8|; extends through and acts as the pivot for an operating lever 35. Tothe right of lever 85 the stud 80 is slabbed as at 86, see'Figs. 2 and 8, and fits into a similarly formed hole 8? in setting arm 88. The latter as shown in Fig. 3

'extends to the left and downwardly and is in position for engagement with an adjustable operating screw 99 carried by a lug 9| on lever 85.

Lever 85 has bifurcations 92 between which is rotatably mounted a roll 93 for engagement with the conical sliding setting member 4?. A holding nut 94 and lock washer 95'ho1d arm 88 on the slabbed part 8 6 of stud 8!], and lever 85 is 4 freely rotatable between arm 88 and web 45. Head 82 is large enough to engage sleeve 8| and limit movement of stud 80 to the right as viewed in Fig. 2.

The left end of stud 80 is reduced as at 96 and fits into an end bearing member 9'! secured as at 93 to the web of gear Hi. This bearing member 91 cooperates with the sleeve bearing 8| to hold the stud 8B in proper position with respect to the large gear l5 and for rotation on its axis.

When the clutch linings T8 are new, the eccentrics and BI will be set so that the hubs l2 and 13 will be at their greatest distances from the drum 40. When the shipper handle is in stopping position the head 82 of stud 80 will have its sides parallel to and in engagement with the wear plates 15 and 16 so that a spring 99 connecting the clutch shoes will draw the latter away from the drum 4!]. Under these conditions the shoes 18 will be spaced from the drum several thousandths of an inch and large gear I6 can 'turn without driving shaft I! and the loom.

When the shipper handle is pulled on to running position slide member 41 will move toward web 45 and push roll 33 outwardly to rock operating lever 85, thus causing screw 90 to rock settin arm 88 to the left as viewed in Fig. 3. Block 82 will then be rocked to the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby'separating the shoes of the clutch and causing them to engage the drum 4Q to transmit power from the gear IE to the ring gear .3? and the shaft l1.

When the shoe linings l8 become worn the nuts Bl will be loosened and the eccentrics turned the proper amount by means of a suitable tool such as a wrench applied to the slabbed ends 64 of theeccentric studs. In order that the setting of the shoes may be gauged the web 45 is provided with several arcuate openings I60 concentric with gear l6 and so disposed as to expose parts of the clutch shoes near their ends. When the shoes have been given their correct new setting the nuts 6'! can be tightened.

When the eccentrics are adjusted there will be a slight motion of the shoe as a whole toward and from the stud 80. This motion will not materially affect the setting of the clutch by the shipper handle inasmuch as the wear plates 15 and 16 are parallel to a line passing through the stud 8|! and. shaft l1 and midway between the eccentrics 6B and El. Because of this relationship it is not necessary to adjust the stud when the eccentrics are adjusted.

' From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a simple and efficient form of clutch wherein the clutch shoes are mounted on adjustable eccentrics and wherein the shoes are separated by a spreading means such as block 82 on the stud 8!]. This stud and the wear plates '55 and 15 are so related to the eccentrics that adjustments of the latter can be made without requiring adjustments of the stud 80 or its connections to the shipper mechanism. It will fur.- ther be seen that the drum 49 serves the double purpose of cooperating with the brake band 33 and also the clutch shoes. The shipper and brake handles and the mechanisms connected to them are ordinarily set in such a manner that the brake'is not applied until the driving force between the motor and the loomhas been disconnected at the clutch. It occasionally happens however that these two sets of mechanism will not be exactly timed and the brake may go on before the clutch is entirely free. If this should happen it will be apparent particularly from Fig. 2 that there will be no twisting of the parts of the driving mechanism because of the fact that the brake band and clutch shoes operate in substantially the same plane and both act on the drum 40. Adjustment of the shoes is facilitated by the openings H in the web 45, and these openings are located adjacent to the ends of the clutch shoes. Furthermore, the bearing sleeve 5| which is driven into the hub 46 provides a tight seal for the oil in the peripheral groove or recess 50 and the oil chamber 52. Also, the shoe controlling stud 80 is supported on both sides of the block 82, one of these supports being the sleeve 8| and the other being the bearing 91. The spring 99 as shown in Fig. 2 applies its force at points intermediate the ends of the block 82, and the bearing 51 is so made as to permit the spring to occupy a position wherein this advantage exists.

Having thus described our invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what we claim is:

1. In clutch mechanism for a loom shaft having a drum secured thereto, a driving gear loose on the shaft, clutch shoes pivotally mounted on the gear and movable relatively to the latter in a direction to engage the drum, a spreading member mounted on the gear for angular movement relatively thereto, a block forming part of said spreading member located between said shoes and effective when said member is turned in a given direction to move said shoes into engagement with the drum, said member having a journal beyond the block with respect to the gear, and a bearing for said journal secured to said gear at a point between said shoes.

2. In clutch mechanism for a loom having a shaft within a drum secured thereto, a driving .gear loosely mounted on the shaft, a pair of clutch shoes pivoted to said gear and movable relatively to the latter into engagement with the drum, a spreading member rotatably mounted on the gear, a bearin secured to the gear and having a part thereof on one side of said shoes, a gudgeon on said member turnable in said bearing, a non-circular block forming part of said member located between the gear and said bearing and also between said shoes and effective when said member is turned in a given direction to move said shoes into engagement with the drum.

3. In clutch mechanism for a loom shaft hav;- ing a drum secured thereto, a driving gear loosely mounted on the shaft and having a web, a pair of clutch shoes pivoted to said web and located on opposite sides of the shaft, a spreading member rotatably mounted on the web and having a gudgeon on one end thereof spaced from the web, a bearing for said gudgeon mounted on the web, a non-circular block forming part of said member located between said shoes and between said bearing and said web, and means on that side of the web opposite said bearing to turn said member relatively to the web in a direction to cause said block to move the shoes into engagement with said drum.

.and said web, and a non-circular block forming part of said spreading member located between said bearing and said web and also between said other ends of the shoes to move the latter into engagement with the drum.

5. In clutch mechanism for a loom shaft having a drum secured thereto, a gear loosely mounted on the shaft and having a web, a pair of arouate clutch shoes forthe drum each having one end thereof pivoted with respect to the web, a spreading member for said shoes rotatably mounted on the web and having a gudgeon on one end thereof, a bearing secured to theweb and having a part thereof receiving said gudgeon and spaced from said web, the other ends of said shoes being located between said bearin and said web, a non-circular block forming part of said spreading member located between said bearing and said web and also between said other ends of the shoes to move the latter into engagement with the drum, and spring means connecting said shoes together and effective to hold them against said block, said springs passing between the web and said part of the bearing.

6. A gear for a loom driving clutch, a pair of arcuate clutch shoes supported on the gear, a spreader member for the shoes, said gear having peripheral gear teeth and a web, a hub extending laterally from the web, a pair of eccentric studs secured to the web for the shoes on one side of v the hub, a bearing in the'web for the spreader member located on the opposite side of the hub, and the web havin arcuate slots therein extending between said bearing and said eccentric studs and located to expose the'shoes rom that side of the web opposite the shoes when the latter are on said studs.

CARL P, BERGSTROM. ALBERT PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June 3, 1903 Number Number 

